Memorial Day

Stuff

I was asleep, and dreaming, when at around midnight I was awakened by a clap of thunder.  Not just any old clap of thunder, but a super loud clap of thunder.  I nearly came out the bed.  What's cool is that in my dream, there was an explosion and a really big fireball. 

I'm still working on the second blankie.  I've decided to do it a little bit differently.  I put all my yarn in one big bag.  When I need a new square, I close my eyes, reach in, and whatever I grab is what I use.  I've gotten 13 squares done, and the 14th cast on.  I've put all my squares in a bag, too, and when I get ready to do the second row, I'll reach into the bag, grab some squares and that's what I use.  I think this is going to be fun.

A Saturday Sunset:

A New Project

I've started new project.  What is it? Here's a hint:

Need another?

Figured it out yet? OK, final hint:

Yep, I've started another blankie with the leftover bits of yarn from the first one.  I'm thinking this one will be for my sister and her family.  I'm going to make it slightly bigger than mine--14 squares wide to my 12.  And since she's not as picky as I am, I will make duplicate squares.  I'll also use solids, and a variety of fibers.  See the middle square in the top row of the above photo?  It's a cotton blend.  I think it'll work nicely in her blankie.

I had hoped to get it finished in time to give it to her for Christmas.  But thinking about it, that may be a bit too ambitious.  Well, we'll see how it goes.  If I don't get it done by December, there's always next year!

Them's My Sentiments

When I was a child, my dad told me the story of a man who, instead of saying grace before his meals wrote out his prayer on his dining room wall. When he sat down to eat, he'd just gesture at the wall and say, "Them's my sentiments."

Now, I don't advocate that sort of communication with the Lord, but that story has always amused me.

Every so often, I find a cartoon or a photo floating around the internet that just so perfectly matches how I feel that I need to share it.  So, I'm introducing a new topic to the blog. I'm calling it

Them's My Sentiments.

This is the first of, hopefully many entries:

Them's my sentiments.

Spreading Hatred

OK, first of all, with a speeding vehicle, a bull dozer, a squad truck, a fire truck, a helicopter, and 10-15 assorted firemen and paramedics stomping around, there's no way a rattlesnake will still be hanging around.  Even if it was, it is highly unlikely that it would strike unprovoked like that.  An estimated 95% of snake bites occur when the victim is trying to capture or kill the snake.  Often, alcohol is involved.

Secondly, Johnny will NOT be dead within minutes.  Rattlesnake venom is not that potent.  In fact, most bite victims have several hours to get medical help before the venom becomes potentially fatal.  And though I don't recommend it, many people have survived rattlesnake bites without seeking medical attention at all.

Finally, that bite is awfully high on Johnny's leg.  Most bites--some 90%--are on the foot and ankle.  Furthermore, a snake will seldom strike without giving adequate warning.  That's why God made that little rattle on their tails.  It takes tremendous energy to produce venom, and snakes won't use it unless they absolutely have to.  A snake won't suddenly strike out of the blue unless they feel their lives are in immediate danger, and as shy as they are--well, see point #1.



OK, OK, I was watching an old episode of Emergency on Netflix, via their watch instantly feature.  Roy and Johnny had just helped some teenagers that had been in a car accident.  Johnny forgot his handy talkie and reached back into the car to get it, when a rattlesnake jumped up and bit him.  Maybe it makes good TV adventure, but in my book, garbage like that only adds to the fear and hatred people have for snakes.
 
Even with all the moonbat animal rights BS that is out there, snakes are still the only animal it is acceptable to kill just because it is a snake.

And really, all they want is to be left alone.

It's Here!

I used the gift card I'd won in the Football Fanatics Trivia contest, and this is what I ordered. 

I needed a new knitting bag for the blankie.  It's getting rather big,

and it needed a new home.  Now it has one. 

Here's something I haven't posted in a long time:  A Saturday Sky.

Yes, I know it's Sunday, but I took this picture yesterday.  I just didn't get around to blogging it.

Now, it's almost time for the series finale of Lost, so I'm outta here.

Later, peeps.   

Two Hours

It's been two hours and I'm not dead, which I hope you will find to be a great relief.  I know I did. 

However, the Benadryl has definitely kicked in.  I'm going to bed now.

Goodnight.

Friday

The day started way too early.  Storms woke me up at 3:45, and I did not get back to sleep before time to get up anyway.  It was while I was laying there that I discovered that a recently extracted wisdom tooth makes a pretty good barometer.

Made it through the day at work, and even got off a little early--well after only 9 1/2 hours, instead of the usual 10.  Came home and rested a bit.  

Made my weekly Wal-Mart excursion.  I spent way too much money.

I was kind of excited because this is the first Friday in a while that I've actually felt like eating.  So I bought stuff to eat.

More than just pudding and mashed potatoes, too.

For the first time in my life, I bought face cream.  Watching old Emergency reruns, they'll show a guy with gray hair and wrinkles, then say "approximate age:  35".  I'm way past 35.  So I bought face cream.  And hair dye.

Then I saw a display of T-shirts with American flags on them.  So I bought one.

Then I bought another.

If that offends you, I'll be happy to show you to the border.

Yes, we do still have them.  

On the way out, I grabbed a pack of chocolate chip cookies from the check out aisle.  I opened them in the car and ate one.  Then I remembered I should have checked the ingredients.  I checked the ingredients.  Sure enough, eggs.

So I came home and took some Benadryl, and ate them anyway.  I felt like living dangerously.

I'll check back in in an hour or two and let you know if I'm dead or not.  Now if you will excuse me, I need to go find an Epi pen.

Just in case.

.

Dear Coworker

Normally, I am able to restrain myself.  However, that statement you just made was so extremely Duh worthy that my Duh escaped my lips quite before I could contain it.  For that, I offer you my sincerest apologies.

That is all.

Thank you.

I'm Back!

Didja miss me? 

Today, for the first time in a long time, I almost feel myself again.  I have been able to go almost the whole day without any painkiller whatsoever.  I did take some Tylenol early this morning.  My mouth still hurts a bit when I first wake up, but then gets better throughout the day.  Since then, I've only had occasional twinges, but nothing so severe I can't handle it. 

So, regular blogging will resume soon.  Thanks for hanging with me. 

Both of you. 

Lesson For The Day

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Never, but never forget to put the salt into your neti pot.  You will regret it.

Trust me on this one.
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I Was Gonna

post something here since I haven't updated the blog since Saturday, but right now, I just can't think of anything interesting.

There is knitting going on, but since I've been pretty monogamous this week, there aren't a lot of photos to show for it.  I finished clue 3 of the AMS, and started clue 4.  However, it's starting to feel like I'm knitting on a deadline, and that makes knitting not fun.  So I set aside the AMS to work on the blankie.  There will be photos soon.  I promise. 

OTAs started this week and the first thing the Cowboys did was to release Cory Proctor.  It's not like we didn't see that one coming.  The o-line was an absolute shambles during the 2008 season when Kyle Kosier was out with a broken foot.  They also released Duke Preston, who never saw the light of the 45 man roster.  Depth continues to be a concern, especially now that they don't have a back up center.  Kosier is working out at the spot, but has never played a single snap as center in the NFL.  We'll see how that goes.

Dez Bryant continues to impress in practice.  He beat the living daylights out of T-new, but then dropped the ball.  Well, I'll just link you to the highlights, here. 

Dear Coworker

I truly appreciate that you are taking the time to talk with me.  However, I think our conversation would be greatly enhanced if you would actually use consonants in your speech.  That is all.

Thank you.

A New Sympathy

I now have a new sympathy for House, and Rush Limbaugh, and anyone else who's ever been addicted to prescription pain killers.  Yesterday was the first day I didn't take my Vicodin, and all last night and this morning, I definitely went through something akin to withdrawal.  I was sleepless, irritable, nauseated, and twitchy.  All I could think about was how I couldn't wait to get home and take another pill.  And I'd only been taking it for a week.  I can imagine the hell those who had been on meds for much longer must feel.  By about lunch time, the feelings passed, and I haven't had any more cravings.  But still...

I am relieved to note that my pain level has dropped considerably today.  I'm feeling about as much pain without any medication at all as I did a week ago completely doped up.  And with judicious use of warm salt water rinses and a heating pad, I've managed to go without meds since 1:00 PM.  I will take some Tylenol before bed though.  Sleep is essential, and I must have some relief.  However, I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I had been saying it to myself mentally, but now I'm really beginning to feel it, that this, too, shall pass.

As for the knitting, yes there was an error in the chart.  The designer posted a corrected chart today.  But, since the error isn't all that noticeable, I decided not to rip all the way back to the first incorrect row.  I just corrected the most recent row, which was the last row I'd knit anyway, and will go on from there.  Most of the knits I give as gifts end up stuffed in the back of some drawer somewhere, never again to see the light of day.  Bearing that in mind, I don't supposed a slightly askew cat's paw motif will matter all that much. 

Daffodils, taken in March.  I know they're gone, but they're still my favorite flower.

Two Steps Forward

and one step back.  Today seems to have been one of those one step back days.  I'm definitely in more pain than I was yesterday, and I didn't sleep well at all last night because of weird dreams, tooth pain, a barking dog, and a serious case of night sweats.  I've been just dragging today. 

As if that weren't enough, the chart I'm doing for clue 3 of the mystery shawl might have some rows that need correcting.  I contacted the designer, and she's like "Well, I don't know..."  I'm like, you're supposed to know, you DESIGNED the thing!  And it was going so well, too.  Now, it looks like I'm going to have to tink back from row 33 all the way to row 17.  I'm wondering why she didn't say something sooner. 

Frustrating!

Much Better

I woke up feeling much better this morning.  I'm still stiff and sore, but I don't feel like I'm sick any more.  I finally feel like I'm on the mend.  I think the difference was that last night I got the first good night's sleep since I had my teeth out.  See, I sleep on the same side as my teeth were on.  Every time I rolled onto that side, it would hurt, and I'd wake up.  I just don't sleep well on my other side.  Anyway, last night, the pain had lessened enough that I was able to sleep through the night, and woke up feeling almost well.  Like I said, I'm still pretty sore, but was able to control the pain with just plain Tylenol. 

I made it through work today, all ten hours.  And I discovered that pain meds work a whole lot better when you actually take them.  I'd gotten home and got a Vicodin out.  About 30 minutes later, I was grumbling about how long would it take that pill to start working. I looked over and lo and behold, there it was still sitting on my end table.  Duh...

In football news, the Cowboys have traded linebacker Bobby Carpenter to the Rams for a backup tackle named Alex Barron.

Now, if you ask me, Bobby Carpenter had been getting a raw deal from media and fans ever since he got to Dallas.  He really wasn't that bad of a player.  He just didn't live up to his draft position.  If he'd been drafted in the 4th or 5th round--as he probably should have been--I doubt anyone would be complaining.  But he was drafted in the first round, and therefore had first round expectations to live up to.  Which is tough, because he really wasn't a first round talent.  He had a pretty good season in 2009, but nobody seems to see that.  They just see him as a bust. 

Hopefully, he'll be a better fit with the Rams Dude, and I wish him well.  Maybe he can finally shed the unfortunate nickname of "Barbie". 

.

Sometimes I Wonder

if I'll ever be pain free again!

Oh, logically, I know that this too shall pass, but right now, I'm just tired of hurting!  I tried to go back to work today, and only made it half a day.  Rod begged me not to leave, but I told him if I didn't go lay down, I was going to fall down.  So I left.


Then I came home and won a $20 gift certificate to Football Fanatics in a Facebook trivia contest.  Cool, huh?  Now the problem is deciding what to get.  I want everything! 

The Best Laid Plans

I had this list of things I was going to do this weekend.  It was going to be so easy.  I'd get these two teeth yanked, then I'd have the whole rest of the week to get caught up on some stuff I'd been meaning to get done.  I mean, how hard could it be?

Turns out I greatly underestimated how bad I'd feel.  I didn't get anything done.  I didn't even clean the cat pan.  All I did was lay around knitting and watching TV.  Tomorrow, I have to go back to work, and I'm not looking forward to it.  My face is still a bit swollen, though I no longer look deformed, but I'm still in a lot of pain.  At this point, I only hope I can make it through the day.

Just one housekeeping note:  I've been getting a lot of comments in Chinese lately.  While I appreciate any Chinese people who may be reading my blog, I do not speak the language.  Please leave your comments in English only.  Any comments in another language will be deleted.  If this continues, I'll turn comment moderation back on.  Thanks for understanding.

Third Day

They say the third day is the hardest. Well, they were right. I have been absolutely miserable today.  For a while there, even my pain medication wasn't helping a bit.  I made the right call calling in sick this morning.  What with the pain, stiffness, and swelling, there's no way I could have made it through a day of work.    But then, between 5:30 and 6:00PM, as I was dozing on the couch, it turned.  The pain lessened, and the swelling began to go down.  I can still barely open my mouth, but I think the worst is behind me.  I'm going to take tomorrow off, too, just to be on the safe side.

Squeaky has been busy keeping me company.

She says, "I'm good company, ain't I, Mama?"

In the midst of all my misery, I managed to make it through chart 4 of my Vernal Equinox shawl.

It's too big to spread out all the way, but you can kind of get an idea of what it will look like.  What I didn't get done, is to get my new printer set up.  I'd bought it Tuesday and it's still sitting there in the box.  I just haven't felt like fooling with it.  I need to get it out and set up before clue 3 of the MS comes out tomorrow. 

Two weeks ago, my azaleas were covered in blooms.   But the storms of the last two weekends knocked all the flowers off.  I thought that was it for the year, but today, I looked out and found this: 

One last lonely blossom, bravely clinging to life.

Hope.

It's like a sign of hope.

Everything is going to be OK.

Feeling Better

I'm still very sore and stiff, though.  And my face is swollen like I've been hit with a sledge hammer, but I'm doing a little better.  I just don't have any energy.  I walked out to the mailbox, and was absolutely shaking by the time I got back.  I've spent most of the day watching Netflixes and knitting.  I got caught up weaving in ends of my blankie.  I still have a few more mini skeins of yarn left before I run out again.  I also picked back up my Vernal Equinox to work on while waiting for the next Mystery Shawl clue to come out.  I've got about 10 more rows before I get through with chart 4.  I'll post photos when I'm done.

The way I feel, I think I will give myself tomorrow off, too. 

I'm Glad That's Over

I did get my two teeth out today, but it wasn't without incident.

See, I'd arranged with a lady from church to drive me, because she was the only one I know who doesn't work during the day.  I'd called her last night to remind her, and she said she'd pick me up a little before 9.  My appointment was at 9:30.

Since they were going to put me to sleep, I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight.  I was so afraid I'd forget and get up and eat breakfast or drink some Dr. Pepper.  So, before I went to bed last night, I duct taped my refrigerator shut, and put a big sign on my pantry that said, DO NOT EAT!.  It worked.  I was more thirsty than hungry, but I managed to resist.

But then, a little before 9 came and went, and Miss Bessie Faye didn't show up.  I thought she must be running a little late, but she is usually a dependable person.  I waited a few more minutes and went and called her.  I got no answer, so I thought she must be on her way.  I waited a few more minutes, and she still didn't show up.  By this time, I was getting a bit worried.  She is diabetic, and has just recently had an episode with her blood sugar.

I went and called her again, still got no answer.  Just as I hung up the phone, I saw a car pull into my drive.  "There she is", I said to myself.  But it wasn't her.  It was two of her sisters.  They said, "Wasn't Bep (their nickname for her) was supposed to take you to the dentist today?"  I said that she was, but hasn't shown up yet.  They said they were getting worried about her because they hadn't heard from her this morning.  I replied that I'd just tried to call her and got no answer.  So they headed on towards her house to see what was wrong.  They thought she might be in a ditch somewhere.

I called the dentist office and told them that my ride hadn't gotten there, and if I didn't find anyone I just wanted to do it without being put to sleep.  They said that was OK, though I know I didn't really want to do it that way.  I got into my Jimmy, and on impulse, pulled out my phone and called J.  I'd thought he was at work today, but turns out, he was going to do some work with his bees.  I caught him just as he was about to leave for the bee yards.  I told him what was had happened with Miss Bessie Faye, and begged him to come to the dentist office and drive me home because I really didn't want to miss my appointment.   He agreed.  Since he was already in town, by the time he finished the errand he was doing, we got to the dentist office at about the same time.

I explained to the receptionist what had happened--that I was afraid my friend had had another spell with her blood sugar, but that I'd managed to find another ride.  So they would be able to put me to sleep anyway.  While I was waiting, Miss Bessie Faye's sister called my cell and asked me if she'd shown up.  I told her no, and she said that they still hadn't found her and had called the sheriff. 

Not long after that, the nurse called me back.  She hooked me up to all sorts of monitors,and I told her my heart would probably be racing.  She asked if I was nervous, and I replied that I was, but was also worried about my friend.  I explained to her what had happened, which was why I had the jitters so bad.  Then the doctor came in and patted me on the shoulder and asked me if I was ready to get it over with.  He sat down to start the IV, and I quipped that nurses love my veins.  I told him that only one time had anyone had trouble starting an IV, and that was when the nurse was trying to put it into the back of my hand.  She said that the vein was good, it just kept rolling on her.  That's when the doctor said, "She must not have found Big Bertha, here", patting the vein in my arm.

He put the IV into my arm.  Injected something into it.  Then he injected something else into it.  About 10 seconds later, I began to feel --well, floaty, for lack of a better term.  "Boy that stuff works fast," I said.  The next thing I knew, I was home, and J was trying to unlock my house with the wrong key.  (I keep my house keys and car keys on separate rings.)  I gave him the right key, he opened the door, then helped me stumble up the stairs and into the house, where I made a beeline for the couch.  I have no memory of walking out of the dentist's office, and only the vaguest recollection of sitting in the truck checking to see if they'd put my glasses back onto my face.

I do remember, after he'd gotten me a pillow off my bed, and covered me with an afghan, asking him to call Miss Bessie Faye's sister and check on her.  He asked if I needed anything to eat, and I said I'd stocked up on mushy foods--oatmeal, pudding, yogurt, and the like.  He asked if I had some mashed potatoes, and I replied that I had flakes.  Then he asked what kind of ice cream I liked, and I said, "I just get whatever's cheapest."  That wasn't what he meant, though.  He meant, what flavor.  He then went and got my prescriptions filled--one of which is Vicodin, and bought me chocolate ice cream and pre-made mashed potatoes.  They are Bob Evans brand, and they are good. 

He told me that he called Miss Bessie Faye's sister, and that they'd found her.  What we feared was true.  Her blood sugar had bottomed out again.  They had wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused to go.  She was at home, but was in no condition to drive, and apparently was bad enough that she couldn't answer the phone, either.  She is OK now, but this is the second time this has happened within 5 days, and that's what is worrisome.

I am OK, too, just very sore and kind of stiff.  I have tomorrow off already, but they say the third day is the hardest, so I don't know about Friday.  I've already told my supervisor that I may or may not be there, but told my group leader not to expect me back until Monday. 

What with all the overtime we'll be getting these next few weeks, I'm leaning towards Monday myself.

Sunday Shawl Stuff

And the rain came down all weekend, and I was lazy. We had the weekend off, and I had a whole list of things I wanted to get done. I didn't get them done. Hardly any of them, at least. I did get the Shawl That Never Ends blocked. That means I finally got a chance to use the Eucalan wool wash I bought down in Jackson in March.

First step was to scrub the kitchen sink out really well, and fill it with baby bath warm water.  I added the Eucalan, then I dropped the shawl in and let it sink into the water.

I gave it a good long soak.

After sticking about a gajillion pins and muttering a thousand times how much I needed some blocking wires, I got the shawl pinned out on the bed. 

Here is the shawl, released from its pins.  I wished, not for the first time, that I had a better way to show off my work than spreading it out on the living room floor. 

In the meantime, clue 2 from the Anniversary 10 mystery shawl was released.  Eagerly, I ran into the office to print it out, only to find out my printer wasn't working.  It wouldn't even turn on.  I fiddled with it a bit, but it was deader'n a hammer.  I suppose I could try to get it fixed, but really, it's cheaper just to buy a new one.  You can get a good printer/scanner these days for less than $100.  So I rushed right out to the store and bought a new one.  But I didn't really, because it was pouring down rain.  I decided it could wait. 

I tried to knit the clue from my laptop screen, but got all messed up and ended up ripping the entire shawl back to the beginning.  I thought briefly about doing a different chart.  See, each clue has 4 different charts to choose from.  I'd done chart D the first time, but after seeing chart C, I really liked the way it looked.  In the end, I did chart D again.  I think chart C will look much better in a solid color, so I'll save it until the next time.

Funny thing was, the first time I knit clue 1, I zipped right through it with no problems. This time, I had to start over like 4 times before I got it right. But I persevered and finished. Then I started clue 2. I also did chart D for clue 2. I don't know why, but chart D just looked the most interesting. I kept losing my place, and had to tink quite a bit, but I made it eventually.  About half way through the clue, I was able to switch to my circular needle, and that made it a lot easier.   At the end of the clue, I was finally able to put in a lifeline.  I feel much better now. 

It's hard to see the pattern, but here it is.

Anniversary 10 Mystery Shawl
Yarn: Knitpicks Shadow Tonal in Queen Anne
Needles:  US 5
Clue 1:  Chart D
Clue 2:  Chart D